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Civil War Soldiers - Lowell

Lowell, Charles R., brigadier-general, U.S. Army, was born in Boston, Mass., Jan. 2, 1835. He was graduated A. B. at the head of his class, at Harvard, in 1854, spent several years in European travel, and at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war was manager of the Mount Savage iron works, Maryland. He offered his services to the government in the spring of 1861, and on May 14 was commissioned captain in the 6th cavalry. He served all through the Peninsular campaign, and at the close of it was brevetted major for gallantry and assigned to the staff of Gen. McClellan. At Antietam he carried orders from the commanding general under severe fire, rallied broken regiments and displayed so great gallantry that he was commissioned to carry the captured standards to Washington. In the fall of 1862 he organized the 2nd Mass. cavalry, of which he was made colonel May 10, 1863. During the winter of 1863-64 he commanded the advanced defenses of Washington, and in July he was engaged against the attack of Early. He subsequently commanded the provisional cavalry brigade under Sheridan in the Shenandoah valley, and finally the reserve brigade, with which he distinguished himself at the battle of Opequan creek, Sept. 19, 1864, and on Oct. 9 took a leading part in the overthrow of Gen. Rosser's cavalry. During his three years' service he had had twelve horses shot under him and had escaped without injury, but at Cedar creek he was wounded early in the day, and later, having refused to leave the field, he led his brigade in a final successful charge and received a mortal wound. His commission as brigadier-general of volunteers issued at the request of Gen. Sheridan, was signed in Washington on the day of the battle, Oct. 19, 1864. He died at Middletown, Va., Oct. 20, 1864.

Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
 


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